Afterlife
by Totally Unoriginal Pen Name
Summary: Danny was shot and killed by his parents, but his mind was awake for years after his death, wondering. When he finally woke up, he found himself in a very different world than the one he left. And, it was in no way, good.
1. Afterlife

I always thought it was funny how life and death tortured you endlessly. After life, there is death. And, if it be, there is an afterlife. No in-between. Right?

Wrong.

You've known me by a few names. Albeit, some of them are stupid. _Inviso-bill, _really? What kind of moron came up with that one? My more popular one was Phantom. It could create chaos and havoc but invoke tranquility and peace at the same time. People didn't share the same opinions about me.

Including my parents.

They may be whack-jobs who unintentionally caused the entire mess I got myself involved in in the first place, but I love them. You'd have to be mentally ill to not love the people who gave you life to start out with. Although life can be terrible and sucky, it's the only one you have.

Well, sort of.

They inadvertently caused half of my death to start with. Then they caused the other half by shooting me. They didn't mean to, they were just trying to catch a ghost. To prove to the world that they're adequate ghost hunters who can also look after their own children.

They weren't aware of halfas. They weren't aware I was a halfa, and they were definitely not aware that they killed me until it was too late.

I don't blame them at all; I should have told them myself. It's terrible, knowing your family is guilty about murdering you- at only fourteen. I was aware of everything around me but dead at the same time. I had no concept of time, just the subtle movements of the people around me, before I was buried in the ground.

Years passed, and I laid there, in wonder. My mind was awake. Why was I not a ghost? Or was I trapped? My limbs just felt numb, as if I was frozen. Jazz and Sam were against cryogenics, freezing people for preservation, and they would not allow my dead body to be preserved. When the technology came around anyway, it would be years in the future. Everyone would probably be dead, leaving me to be an empty shell, possibly turning into Dan without the half of Plasmius.

What were my last words to Sam? I liked her, as in, like-like. I always felt that the feeling was mutual, but now I can never tell her. Never hold her in my hands like I wanted to.

_I'll be fine, _was said to both Sam and Tucker as I transformed and took to the skies, eyes narrowed at Skulker once again. Banter was thrown between us before a terrible pain burst through my chest, and I fell to the ground, my mind foggy.

Even as I reverted back to my human form, I was aware of everything after my last breath. Sam's cries, Tucker's sobs, my parents...It was terrible. There was a bit of me who felt like I caused all of this, the pain of everyone I knew.

What was Amity Park like now? I wondered constantly, while in my dead thoughts. Who was in charge? Depending on how long, Vlad could have passed (and the fruitloop was old, anyway). Everyone I knew could have passed- no concept of time when you're dead.

Did Sam grow up and be the person who wanted equal rights for all? Did Tucker invent some new technology that revolutionized the world? Did Jazz grow up to be the psychologist she dreamed of? And what about my clone, Dani? Where was she now?

What about my parents?

I kept wondering, not able to escape from my prison underground. Until one day, I woke up.


	2. I'm Waking Up

I sat up so quickly I nearly ripped the IV out of my wrist. My eyes were wide with panic and fear as I tried to figure out where I was. _Hospital. Okay. _Doctors tried to tell me to lay back down, but I kept yelling, "Where am I? How am I alive?"

Calm voices gave me confused replies, and demands to lay back down. Finally, a calm voice came in. "You're safe."

_You're safe._ I haven't been "safe" since the accident. Safe was obsolete to me in the past, but I started to relax on hearing the voice. I have been kidnapped, tortured, and nearly killed by many ghosts. I leaned back on the bed, watching as the doctors who surrounded me left, although a bit frightened by my sudden outburst. However, one of them, who wasn't a doctor technically, stayed.

She had brown hair that fell in curls around her face and amber eyes that burned like fires. She wore a red tank and jeans that were curled up over black boots, and had a swirl tattooed on her arm. Other than that, she looked...Well, she looked my age.

"It's nice to know you're awaye." The same voice from before came out of her mouth.

"How long was I out? How did I get here?" The questions came tumbling out of my mouth, causing the girl to laugh.

"Relax, you're fine now." She said. "You were found on the side of the highway, almost hit by a truck. You're lucky to have survived."

"How am I alive?" I asked again. "I was...I was dead, and then I woke up!"

"You were in a medically induced coma for a couple of hours, but beside that, you weren't dead." The girl's eyes widened. "I'm surprised by how fast you're healing." She commented, pulling out a device that resembled an IPad, but when it turned on, a holographic image of ribs- which I guess were mine- showed up. "You had a major wound in your chest. Do you know what happened?"

I didn't understand this. I didn't understand anything. "Did I finally make it to heaven, and is this some kind of joke? I died- I was shot in the chest."

"Well, it does seem possible you were shot, but your heart was fine. You were bleeding...and there was ectoplasm in it." The girl shrugged. "Whatever. You're fine now. But I can't find you anywhere. What;s your name?"

"Danny." I replied calmly. "What's yours?"

The girl smiled. "Phoenix. Training to be a doctor here in Willowbrooke." She paused. "There's a bunch of Dannys in the database. Last name, perhaps?"

"Fenton."

"Spell it?"

"F-E-N-T-O-N."

After scrolling through a list on the tablet, which I could only tell due to the gentle motion of her finger swiping up the screen. she shook her head. "There's no Danny Fenton at your age. A _Dani _Fenton, but she's been off the grid for a while."

_Of course I'm not on there, _I said to myself. _I'm supposed to be dead. _

"Is it short for Daniel?"

"Yeah."

After a couple moments, the search came up with a man across the continent in his eighties. Not me.

I was dead. I kept telling her. I was dead. I am nothing. I am a ghost, a Phantom- how suiting and ironic. I paused. "What year is it?"

"2034."

I was killed in 2014.

I've been dead for twenty years.

The realization hit me like a cold, hard wall. Sam and Tucker and Jazz were still alive, and probably my parents and Vlad, but they all aged normally. I was still fourteen. Dani was still alive, and due to her name, was taken in my my parents, but she's gone into hiding.

I sat there, rubbing my temples.

"If you need a place to stay, Danny." Phoenix's voice caught my attention. "You can stay with me."

"Really?" It was the out-of-the-blue kindness that I never received. "Thank you."

"We'll make an identidy for you-"

"No." I said quickly. "No identity."

"Why? Is someone out to get you, or something?"

"If they realize I'm alive," I uttered dryly, thoughts of being adopted instantly by Vlad invaded my mind. And I wanted to go to my parents and friends instantly, but what would they think? That I'm a monster, a freak, a zombie? I have been dead for twenty years. Unbelievable, but so true.

Phoenix caught my utterance and nodded, putting the tablet on the stand next to my bed. "I'll see how fast I can get you out of here, but for now, sit tight. The Pad's got games on it if you get bored."

I nodded, watching her walk away. She was nice, and as soon as she left the room I grabbed the Pad, and unlocked it. It was different from what I had thought; there was a 3D moe and a holographic mode, along with a standard 2D mode. The problem is, I didn't know how to set it.

After clicking on random things and quickly backing up, I finally found the familiar face of Google. Although it had changed, it was still the same, default search engine it was twenty years ago. I immediately typed in my name, and got nothing. I typed in Danny Phantom. Got dozens of old articles from my years. I clicked on the newest one, dated days after I "died".

_**Today, the esteemed Daniel Fenton, also known as, Danny Phantom, was laid to rest. Half of the city attended, knowing that all of us would miss the beloved ghost boy. Usually-maleficent ghosts attended, also, and we may not have gotten any say on the passing of the hero, the mayor still had a lot to say.**_

"_**Danny Phantom will surely be missed by all, but we must remember who he was- Danny Fenton, a regular boy. We must always remember what he stood for," Mayor Masters said during the funeral.**_

* * *

The whole article made my heart shatter. Half of the people attended? The picture showed some of the people I knew; Dash, Paulina, Kwan, Mikey, Sam, Tucker and Jazz. My parents were up front, and they were not in their usual jumpsuits- which is why they were so hard to find.

The change of heart for Vlad was terrifying but deep. The ghosts who attended, while I laid, only my thoughts awake, als amazed me- ghosts were blurry in photos, but I noticed Ember and Skulker there, too.

Phoenix returned, a big smile on her face. "Danny, you can-" She froze. Was I really crying? I rubbed my eyes, trying not to look obvious. I just learned that all of my enemies attended my own funeral. The ghosts who hated me, the ghosts who didn't care, and the ones who respected me as a person. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. I didn't really know. I was suddenly thrust into a strange, new world, after being unconscious- since I wasn't dead for all of those years, and I came back- and I was alone.

* * *

"Sorry about the mess. I don't usually have visitors." Phoenix said, pushing aside dirty laundry that sat on her couch. "I also have one bed...You can take it, if you want."

I shook my head. "No, the couch is fine. Thank you so much for letting me stay here."

Phoenix shrugged. "My mother always told me to help the people who need it the most."

"Really?" I wondered. "Where are your parents now?"

Phoenix tensed, the subject was sore to her.

"You don't have to, I didn't realize-"

"No. They just left me a couple of years ago. If it weren't for the head doctor at the hospital, I wouldn't be here." She explained quickly, and the sadness soon melted into happiness again. "Anyway, what kind of pizza do you like? I'll order it in, special."

I remembered how Sam and Tucker argued over what toppings we should get on the pizza. We always got half-meat lover's, half-vegan, to suit their tastes. I never really minded, as I was always stuck in the middle of their "meat vs. veggie" debates.

"Just cheese." I finally said.

Phoenix nodded, and I took the chance to open the blinds and look outside. Although she was in a pretty run-down, old apartment, it still gave a great view of the city. A city I was unfamiliar with. It made my heart soar and leap at the thought of flying again.

But what if I didn't have my powers. Turning quickly, I asked, "Where's the bathroom?"

She paused, covering her hand over the mouthpiece. "Down the hall, the second door on your left."

I nodded, and, following her instructions, found the bathroom successfully. It was an average sized bathroom, with the walls painted a grotesque color of beige. I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the ghost energy that was inside of me. I knew I still had some, because Phoenix noticed the ectoplasm in my blood- if I was bleeding normally, there would be minute traces of it, but traces nonetheless.

After a stalled moment, when I almost freaked for losing my powers, the familiar rings appeared at my center and travelled up and down my body. My regular clothes transformed into a black jumpsuit, my hair turned from black to snow white and my eyes, blue to a terrifying neon green.

I sighed. I still had my powers. What was wrong, however, is that my jumpsuit had a giant hole, right in the center of my chest. My DP was gone, with just bare chest left. I had no patches to fix it up, or any extra jumpsuits left over. "Darn it," I muttered, allowing myself to revert back to my human form.

A knock on the door alerted me. I unlocked it and found myself face-to-face with Phoenix. "Pizza's gonna be here in half an hour, okay?"

Twenty years in the future, and they still have not made a way to make pizza more accessible to the people.


	3. It's Time (For Pizza)

The pizza came on time, but a robot had come to deliver it to the door. I have to admit it, my eyes were wide at the thought of androids doing most human tasks now. What was next? We rode in an automated cab on the way home. The technology- and fashion- sure had improved a lot in the years.

"Do you know what Amity Park is like?" I finally had to ask; the whole not knowing about the future thing was really getting to me.

"Amity Park?" Phoenix asked, after swallowing a bite of pizza. "Not many people can get in or out of that city because of the mayor there. I heard a lot of halfas were being terribly abused there, also."

"Halfas?" I knew what the term meant, but there were others? Others like me? When I was alive before, only three of us existed. Either people began getting into a lot more accidents, or...I shivered at the other thought of Dani making all of them.

"You know, people with powers. Some of them are the offspring of weird creatures that are coming out into the world, some of them were cursed, others were made, but all of them have powers." Phoenix explained. "Dunno about the whole origin of the word, to be honest. They should've been called something cooler."

"Who's the mayor?" If it was still Vlad, I would march myself into the city and kick his butt back to Wisconsin.

"As if I know." Phoenix paused. "You're not _from _Amity Park, are you?"

_Not this one, _I thought to myself. What had happened in the twenty years that I was gone? My spacing out alerted Phoenix to the truth, and she seemed quite scared. "Sort of. It's complicated."

"Oh. Okay." Phoenix nodded, and the rest of our meal was silent. I should tell her the truth. It was nagging in the back of my head to reveal to her that I am Danny Phantom. I am back from the dead- if she even heard the stories of me, that is. She might not even know I existed, that I was the first of the halfas.

But does this place- Willowbrooke, did she call it- have the same rules regarding halfas? By the way she talked about it, it was probably just Amity Park.

As the evening news rolled by on the television- which was the most hi-def TV I have ever seen, and she called it old- Phoenix spoke up again. "Are you a runaway?"

"A runaway?" I repeated it only to get clarification. "What do you mean?"

"Did you run away from Amity Park?"

I thought about it for a moment. "No." I replied. I didn't run away. I woke up, as Phoenix said, on the side of the road. She doesn't believe my insane ramblings that I'm supposed to be dead- a grim reality which was faced just hours ago. You can't get over death too easily, even if you've been half-dead for a year prior to it.

And now, here I was, half-alive and well once again.

I pushed those thoughts out of my head. "Why?"

"Because. Willowbrooke and Calico are taking in refugees from the city. If they don't stop the abuse of their own people, we're going to have to invade them." She paused, her amber eyes suddenly solemn. "Whatever. I'm going to bed.

"Good night."

"'Night."

* * *

I couldn't fall asleep that night. I guess I was used to staying up late to fight ghosts, who have seemed to disappear.

I was on her tablet, searching through the internet about myself. The ghost attacks had diminished after my death. Every now and then, I'd find a more "modern" report with details of a ghost attack, but the Amity Park Special Task Force always stepped in and saved people before anyone got hurt.

I found blurry pictures of me. I found interviews of my parents on ghosts. I found a couple videos- seeing it as a holograph terrified me at first- of major ghost attacks. Pariah Dark, for example. The entire town thrown into a different reality.

Eventually, I found some sleep. It didn't seem long until the early rays of sunshine broke through the curtains and to my closed eyes. I heard footsteps in the back of the apartment and knew that Phoenix was awake.

She wandered into the kitchen, which was really close to where I slept. "Morning, bedhead." She greeted, giggling.

I attempted to fix my messy hair, but it wouldn't cooperate. As if it ever did. "So, what are you doing today?"

"The hospital doesn't need my help today, so I was thinking we could go around downtown and buy you some new clothes." Phoenix explained. "How does that sound?"

I glanced at my clothes- the familiar red and white shirt, and even my jeans, were soaked in mud. The stains couldn't get washed out, even with the strength of the washing machines now. "I guess." I replied, shrugging.

She nodded, and returned to the bathroom to get ready. I watched her leave and I sighed. I couldn't stop thinking about all my friends and my family now. After Phoenix returned, I popped a question. "Last night you said there were halfas who were children of _things. _What do you mean by that?"

"Like, they were the children of a human and a witch, a human and a thunderbird, and so on." She explained.

"Could there be a human-ghost halfa?" I asked nervously.

"I mean, it could be possible. There haven't been any reports of such one since...I dunno, twenty years ago with Danny Phantom, I think?" She paused. "You know, you have the same name as the human half of Phantom. Danny Fenton, right?"

I gulped nervously. How could she have figured it out so fast? My secret was revealed by my untimely death, and it felt nice to be remembered by some people. "Y-yeah." I stuttered.

"Why did you just stutter?"

"No reason."

"There has to be a…" Her expression went blank. "No, that's impossible." Phoenix shook her head. "You can't be."

"I can't be what?" I knew what she was insinuating, but I tried to act oblivious. "What are you talking about, Phoenix?"

"Nothing. Just crazy things." She pushed it aside for now. It's not that I didn't trust Phoenix; I trusted her with my half-life, after she saved me from losing it after my resurrection by a truck. I just didn't want to talk about it much, because it was weird to be "oh yeah by the way im danny phantom".

If it was mentioned again, I promised I would spill the beans to her. But for now, I allowed Phoenix to live in her bubble of innocence.


	4. Shopping Isn't A Pirate's Thing, But

How about this, Danny?" Phoenix asked, holding up a striped t-shirt. It would have been nice, yes, if it wasn't blue-and-orange combination. She broke out into a hysterical fit of laughter upon seeing my reaction.

"Yeah, no. That's not my color."

Phoenix shrugged, and held the shirt up to her. "I dunno. What about it on me?"

"What?" I asked in shock; we were in the men's section. I didn't want to be sexist but that would be weird nonetheless.

"Most cities have gender-neutral clothings stores. Haven't you noticed?" Phoenix motioned for me to look around, and I stole a glance across the store. There was no place labeled "men" or "women" or "children"- just sizes.

_Amazing, _I thought. Tucker always ranted about things he had heard on Tumblr to us, and after a few weeks of this Sam joined, too. It was one of the few qualities they had in common- Tumblr. Sam was an activist for equal rights and Tucker was in random fandoms on it. I had a blog, but I never used it.

This was a dream come true to the activists she befriended.

I dug through a couple more clothes racks, before finding a perfect outfit for Phantom. It was a black t-shirt with a slight turtleneck and a neon green stripe across the chest, along with white pants, black boots (Sam would be proud) and a white vest with a hood that concealed my face.

Phoenix cocked her head in confusion at the choice of that, but it was the only one that stood out. The rest were just t-shirts and jeans.

She pulled out a card from her pocket at the cash register and the robot- I'm _still _not used to that idea- and the clothes were neatly folded and placed in a bag. I had wandered off to a section which was just full of hats. I don't understand why, but some of them were so outrageous they looked like someone had pulled them out of _The Hunger Games. _

"Danny?" Phoenix soon joined me again. "Looking at hats, huh?"

"I dunno. I kinda wandered." I shrugged. I picked up one that resembled a singular deer antler on a baseball cap. "What is this?"

"Fashion, I guess." Phoenix grabbed a random one and put it on her head- it reminded me of a Flapper's hat, from the 1920's- it was a bright red feather on a regular cap. "How do I look?"

I laughed, and put the antler-cap on. "Mighty dandy, m'lady. How do I?"

Phoenix couldn't hold it back, and we soon collapsed into a fit of giggling. We set the hats back before trying on different ones, admiring the beauty- or complete stupidity- in the mirrors around us. It ranged from pirate hats to caps with horns and other things on them to feathers and frills and everything. I managed to get a look around the store, too, and I finally understood why the whole store felt off.

The fashion was so different from what I was used to. No t-shirts and jeans, no crop tops and skirts, only in a section with more casual clothes. The fancy clothes were made of ridiculous things- there was a plastic jacket, a vest made of forks, and even shoes made of glass.

"The future is different," I said to Phoenix as we left that store and into the shopping center, which was huge and had bright, neon lights and glass buildings, just like you would expect in the future.

She laughed. "Right. You're from twenty years ago."

Even though her tone was joking, it still held disbelief in it, and it hurt like a needle through the heart. She didn't mean it that way, but it still couldn't stop the hurt. My mouth clamped shut before I quietly uttered, "I did."

Phoenix's eyes suddenly fell somber, and she didn't know how to respond. She probably thought I was in a delusion and couldn't remember anything, so my mind made up fake memories for it. Even the thought of that made my head hurt. It was what Tucker would call a Paradox, I think.

Speaking of time, what happened to Clockwork? He wasn't in any of the photos of my funeral (even thinking of that gave me chills), but he said he was my guardian, always watching over me. Why did he let me die? Why did I come back? _Everything happens for a reason, Daniel, _he always said.

That ghost can be so cryptic sometimes it's infuriating.

"Uh, Danny, I think I should tell you something-" Phoenix's voice was interrupted by a loud, childish gasp that made me jump. It was familiar, and I knew it from somewhere. As if an omen, a chill ran up my spine and a wisp of blue air flew from my mouth.

_Ghost. _I thought, but I stopped. What if ghosts had changed, too? I didn't know anything about this world, and I shouldn't be changing into my ghost form, especially with the condition my jumpsuit was in. I turned before looking up, and finding a familiar ghost, dressed up like a pirate. Again.

Youngblood floated above us, his mouth wide open in shock. I wondered why, until I realized _I_ was the reason. There was enough zombie portrayal in media back when I lived before to creep the average person out into thinking a zombie apocalypse would happen.

"Danny?!" He asked, his eyes wide. Although he seemed just the same as before, there was a slight change in his voice...a little older, a little mature, perhaps. "You're...what?" His pale face held a bewildered expression- in all honesty, it was actually quite funny to see him in such a face.

Phoenix looked at me, the same shock but in different levels on her face. "You know this ghost?"

"Sorta?"

Youngblood, still full of shock, flew off in fear. _Someone watched _The Walking Dead_, _I commented in my head snidely before turning back to Phoenix.

"You were going to tell me?" I inquired, hoping to catch the rest of what she was going to say.

Phoenix shook her head. "Nothing. It was...Just…" She paused, her amber eyes glancing into mine. "Wow, your eyes are really blue."

"I get that. A lot."

"Obviously."

* * *

**In a tower in Amity Park, a woman overlooked the city she ruled. It was perfect, she thought to herself in glee. Her people were safe, and the ****_scum, _****the halfas, were overworking in the factories. She needed manual labor, and didn't want any of her people getting hurt.**

Halfas were not her people. They were not meant to walk this realm, or the next. Ever since Danny Phantom came out to be a halfa, more of them began appearing. It was a sense of..._What's the word, _she mused in her mind.

Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, she finally remembered. More of a real-life version than words, but it could be substituted. She turned on her heel and looked around her room. It was just a regular mayor's office, at the top of the city.

After all her hard work, she deserved this.

The phone on her desk beeped, making her jump a bit. Curious, she strode over and picked it up. "Yes?"

"_There's a problem at Phantom's grave."_

"What happened?" Worry and concern laced her words and thoughts. "Damn it, you said it was secure, Rodger!"

"_It was broken into, and the body...He's gone."_

"I want the culprits found and brought to me. Find the body and return him." She ordered, slamming the phone down, before turning back to her city. There _was _a rebellion group, hiding somewhere. They have a few people she knew back then with them. Although they were working hard to find the rebels, they had to find his body.

Phantom's body. It was kept under a ceremonial gravestone. Nobody had the audacity to even walk by it. People thought it was haunted.

And the mayor of Amity Park believed the rebels had something to do with this.


	5. Revelations

We were nearly home when it happened. Two men snuck up from behind us, grabbing Phoenix by the waist and covering her mouth before she could scream. I turned around and dropped my bags in shock, only to find a gun pointed at my head.

"Give us all your money or we shoot," the man threatened, his finger hovering over the trigger.

I gulped, somehow managing to stay calm. It was probably due to guns being pointed at me by my own parents. I shivered at the memory, slowly slipping my hand into my pocket. I didn't have the money; Phoenix held all of it in her own pockets, but the thieves hadn't asked for it yet. "Not in this pocket, darn." I uttered, loud enough to hear and annoy the men.

"We don't have all day, kid."

I nodded, pretending to dig in my other pockets. "Sorry, guys, I'm broke." I taunted.

The man with the gun didn't find it funny, and he placed the gun against Phoenix's forehead. My face paled instantly. "Give us the money, or the girl gets hurt."

I was too quick for them. I jabbed the guy with the gun in the chest, ripping the weapon out of his hand and pointing it t the guy who held Phoenix. "How about we don't do that, and walk away like it never happened."

Both men, wide-eyed with the same shock Youngblood had just a whole before, before dropping everything they had and running as fast as they can. Phoenix watched them run off, grinning.

"How did you do that?" She asked.

I shrugged. "You learn a few things, I guess." I didn't elaborate more on that, and she nodded, intrigued by my answer..

"Is that how people fight in Amity Park?" Her eyes lit up. "Ooh, are you part of the Resistance? Is that why you ran away?"

"I didn't run away!" I snapped back. Phoenix's eyes widened even more, recoiling.

"Oh. I see." Her mouth clamped shut.

My voice was too harsh, and I quickly apologized. Phoenix accepted it, but her dull reply made me nauseous. I didn't mean to snap. her questions just were too much. And not at all what happened.

I was living with the same guilt and pressure I had when I was still alive- my secret. Being-half dead. Although now it was more because I had managed to rise from the dead after being in that state for twenty years. Twenty years of my life, wasted in a casket underground.

How did I get out, anyway? I followed Phoenix home, but my thoughts kept wandering. I was buried feet underground, probably under a memorial statue or something like that- I had seen a blurry photo of it online. How did I get out? Before waking up, I had nothing. Just the memories of the white abyss I found myself in. Just thinking about everything.

It felt like minutes had gone by in the abyss, but in reality, it had been years. I never really felt the pain of my death, either, and all that was left was a scar on my chest, a hole in my jumpsuit. How had it managed to get so big?

Was someone digging around in my guts in my ghost form?

Thinking about it gave me chills. Thinking that _I was dead _was worse. How had it managed to turn out this way? I had no idea. I just wanted everything to go back to the way it used to be.

But how?

Phoenix spoke up, breaking my train of thoughts. "Danny, we need to talk." She set the bags down on the crooked dining table, and turned around to face me, a fire burning in her eyes. "If you're staying here, we're going to have to be more honest with each other."

"What do you mean?" I understood partially what she meant, and felt my heartbeat faster than it normally did. Which was, frankly, quite slow.

Phoenix motioned for me to take a seat on the couch, and I did so, watching her sit next to me. Orange met blue for a few minutes as our eyes connected, and I felt like she was staring into my soul and reading the small memories of my life.

But she couldn't read minds.

Or could she?

The thought made me nearly laugh; if she could read minds, she would already know about my alter-ego. She would've mentioned it by now.

"I mean, we need to tell the truth about each other." She sighed. "Every detail. I don't want to be living with a guy who is dishonest. My mother told me honesty is the best virtue to have."

"You take a lot of advice from your mother."

"Yes, I do." She cleared her throat. "Danny, what were you really doing by the side of the road?"

I told her the truth; that I wasn't aware of being by the side of the road. Or about to be hit by a truck. All I remembered was waking up. Twenty years before that was a different story.

Phoenix nodded. "Your turn."

I didn't have any questions to really ask her, because she was a pretty open person. Not nearly as easy as an open book, but she was honest in her words. At least, I hoped she was. "Uhh...what's your favorite color?"

"Red." She smiled, probably at the immaturity of my question. "At the hospital, I noticed a couple of things off about you. You had ectoplasm in your veins, you healed unusually fast, your heartbeat and temperature was very low but stable...Why is that?"

Yep. I knew this was coming. "I...uh, I had an accident a while back. My parents are-" I felt the need to say _were _here, but I still don't know if they're alive or not. "-ghost hunters."

"Hmm." She already had her next question, but kept her mouth shut for my turn.

"Where are you from?" She never said a certain place, just that she was left here, in Willorbrooke or whatever the place is.

I noticed her tense, but her promise to tell every detail couldn't be broken. "I'm, uh, also from Amity Park, but I was left here when I was six, and I don't remember much."

Oh. She was from my hometown, twenty years in the future, but couldn't share a single detail because her memory prevented her from doing thus. I sighed, knowing that I couldn't get any more information out of her.

"Are you…." She paused in her sentence, before taking a deep breath. "Are you a halfa?"

I felt myself tense, and knew she had figured it out by my indiscreet motions. Phoenix was a very perceptive girl, one of the first to put the pieces together. Jazz couldn't count, because she said she saw me transform prior to me knowing she knew.

But I couldn't lie. Not only would it break the untold promise of keeping everything truthful, but it would break her, too. And I couldn't live with the same pressure again, even if I was exempt from new ghost fights and missing out on school.

"Yes," I finally said, averting eye contact. The girl next to be breathed a sigh of relief, before noticing my depressed expression.

"Danny, don't worry, you're safe here." She smiled. "And, I'm one, too."

My eyes widened, and I looked at her, a grin slowly forming on my face. "Y-you are?" I stuttered out, shocked. "I never would have guessed. I mean, you're so normal, Phoenix."

She grabbed my hand and held it tightly with hers, and I suddenly felt something...different. It was like one of Ember's punches with a bare fist, hot and fiery due to her heat core, but this was a burning sensation, a warmth that traveled through my veins. I freed my hand, still looking at her in shock.

"Not really." Phoenix said, trying to smile. "You're so cold, though. Are you sure you're okay?"

"It comes with the powers." I replied quickly. "But why are you so hot?"

"It comes with the powers." I glared at her, knowing she was trying to reuse what I said. She laughed in response, before pausing. "Who's question is it now?"

"You can go."

Phoenix nodded before stopping to think. "What kind of halfa are you, though? I was thinking that you just had ice powers, or maybe you were part-yeti or something. But that wouldn't explain the ectoplasm."

"H-half ghost, actually." I replied. "What are you?"

Phoenix let out a small laugh, before replying, "Think about my name for a minute. After that, think about the irony."

_Phoenix. _What was there to it? It was a city in Arizona. The capital, I believe. What else was there? It was a name, a girl name. It was...It was…

_Phoenix was part-phoenix. _

There's the irony.

After noticing the look on my face of utter surprise and utter annoyance to the irony that presented itself in the lives of many across the globe, she smiled. "So, part-ghost, eh? Never heard of that before."

"Lab accident. I won't spare you the painful and shocking details. How did you get your powers?"

"Born with them...I think...Accident when I lived in Amity Park or I was born with them. All I know is that I've been able to control fire my whole life. Not particularly useful for the career path I'm choosing, but whatever."

Phoenix and I shared stories about accidents with our powers, laughing at each one. How I turned my pants intangible while talking to a girl. How she accidentally set her stove on fire- and how it smells of burnt pie to this day. The stories were quite humorous actually, because they showed our younger selves (even though I've only had my powers for about a year...sort of…) suffering with bizarre abilities no humans could even begin to understand.

We didn't even understand it, either.


	6. Decisions

**A/N: Sorry it's sort of a filler chapter, I just wanted to update the story!**

* * *

The mayor of Amity Park paced in front of the three caught rebels. All of them were halfas- figures. She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear before looking at the three teens. "You cannot begin to comprehend the trouble you are in."

One of them, with iridescent curls, retorted, "You're torturing our people!" Luckily, she was bound to the chair by ropes. A simple thing, in all honesty, but when you weave in threads of all kinds of weaknesses to the halfas, it holds back their power.

"Your people do not deserve to be called people." the mayor said. "Before I send you off to factories to live your lives in endless labor, I need to ask you one thing." The three halfas gave each other an anxious glance. "Where is his body?"

"Whose body?" The iridescent curls replied curtly. "Who are you talking about?"  
"Danny Phantom. Where did you put it?"

"We don't know what you're talking about." The redhead with a lot of piercings said. "We never touch it- we can't even walk by it without being creeped out!"

The mayor sighed. They would be tough to break. The rebels had to do something with his body. What was she to do? Picking up her phone, she said into it, "Take 'em to the factory, give 'em the worst jobs. I want them out of my sight."

And she got what she wanted, for the most part. But where was Danny's body? The Mayor sighed once again. The rebellion, the resistance, needed to stop now. They took a step too far by messing with _his _grave.

* * *

"Danny!" Phoenix called. "Danny, what's up?"

I had spaced out again, but for a good reason. My ghost sense went off. That meant one thing, really. An obvious thing. "There's a ghost nearby."

"Well, duh." She replied, as if it was an obnoxious statement. "We live in peace with them now. Sure, we've got residential haunts, but nothing too big."

I couldn't shake the wary feeling I got, but I nodded. "They're peaceful?"

"Have been, since Danny Phantom's- err, I mean your- death." It was an odd subject to casually mention in a sentence. Phoenix couldn't get over me being _the _Danny Phantom for a few hours after I told her. The most famous halfa was sitting on her couch! The most famous halfa was eating her cooking! It just wouldn't end!

We were out and about again, a casual tour of the city, when my ghost sense went off. Old habit kicked in and I tensed, spacing out from reality, looking for the ghost. Of course, it wouldn't have worked if they were invisible.

"So, the whelp lives again." I heard, and I swirled on my heel. I recognized the ghost behind me- Skulker. Phoenix turned too, looking at the ghost in slight awe.

I ignored the urges to go ghost, and instead, crossed my arms. "Yeah, I'm back. Is the hunt going to continue again?"

"No." Skulker deadpanned. "All of the 'maleficent ghosts' went through some stupid reform program. I'm just a regular hunter now." He paused. "And, with all the halfas in the world, you're no longer that unique."

"Gee, that hurt." I replied. "So, what have I missed these past, what…"

"Twenty years?" Phoenix added in.

_I knew that, _I thought snidely, as if Phoenix could hear my thoughts. I knew she was trying to be a smart-alec.

"A mayor took over Amity Park. She kicked out all ghosts and any other people who could be dangerous to her city." Skulker explained. I already knew that, also. Was everyone dead-set on pointing out the oblivious today? I never understood why they called me clueless boy back then."The resistance isn't doing too well, either, I heard."

"The resistance?" I wasn't sure exactly what it was, I've only heard about it. "What's that?"

"It's the rebellion in Amity Park. They call themselves many names, the Freedom Fighters, the Bald Eagles, etc." Phoenix explained. "The only reason the Mayor can't find them is because they're underground- the only place their anti-ghost shield can't go."

Interesting, I thought. I had never questioned my parents if the ghost shield could go underground, or if there was some barrier that broke up underground.

Suddenly, an idea hit me. I was always so obsessed with protecting Amity Park. Now there was some tyrant mercilessly ruling, practically killing the halfas in the city! Not only were they sort-of my own kind, not even the ghosts could step in and help! _Is this why I was brought back? _I wondered. _To save Amity Park once again?_

"I need to go back." I said, noticing Skulker had gone off to Ember, who waved to me. I didn't like the nice, peaceful vibe I was getting off the ghosts, but it didn't matter. "I need to go back to Amity Park."

"Danny, that's practical suicide! The mayor will eventually find you and have you killed." Phoenix said. "Amity Park is just like any other warring nation- we need to stay out of it."

"I was born there, and spent protecting it from harm for so long. Then I die, and chaos breaks out! Phoenix, I have to go back there." I retaliated. "You don't have to come, Phoenix."

She crossed her arms. "Looks like you can't be persuaded, huh?" She sighed. "I'm coming with you, you dork. I don't want one of my first friends to get killed."

"I'm not a dork!"


	7. The Masked Kids

**A/N: A wild update appeared!**

* * *

I was heading home.

It was nice, actually, to be returning to Amity Park. But it also scared me a bit. Phoenix told me that everything would be fine, but I knew it had changed dramatically. As far as I knew; there wasn't a totalitarian ruler dictating Amity Park when I died...No, wait, I take that back. But I don't think Vlad would've gone crazy and killed Halfas like what was going on.

"Are you sure about this?"

My mind snapped to Phoenix, whose amber eyes were laced with worry. "Huh?"

"Are you sure you want to go back?" She held her bag closer to her. We were riding the bus to as close as we could get to Amity Park. Nothing went in or out of the city. Radio signals, TV, cars, trucks, nothing.

I paused, biting my lip. What would my family think? If they still lived in Amity Park, would they think it was a miracle? It was a miracle for me to be back from the dead. Did my parents ever forgive themselves for what they did? I've thought it all before, but I'm still not so sure.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "I need to help the halfas in Amity Park." I said. "It was my town, it was my duty to protect it. I don't want to let them down again."

Phoenix smiled, though she remailed solemnly mute. She glanced out of the bus' window, watching the city scenery roll into desolate hills and forest. The entire bus became a silence you could've only heard in detention.

However, it soon skid to a half, the wheels making a loud _skree _noise, snapping Phoenix out of her trance. Confused murmurs echoed through the bus, and I peered over the seat at what was going on. Two kids with masquerade masks decorated with exotic feathers were on the bus, glaring at the driver.

The bus driver was protesting with the two kids, and I strained to hear their conversation.

"Let us get on, sir. We need to get out."

"Willowbrooke has a treaty with Amity Park, kids. I can't let you board or else I'm fired."

"Please! Don't you care that our lives are in danger?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm asking you one more time. _Get off."_

Phoenix looked to me, sympathetic eyes digging into mine. "We should help them, Danny." She said. "They're from Amity Park. They could help us."

I was still watching the entire thing; the kids decided to get off before more trouble happened, and the bus began its drive again. "Grab your bag, Phoenix." I told her, wrapping my hand around her wrist. She slung the bag over her shoulder, and I grabbed mine, and in a swift motion, I turned us intangible, and we toppled through the bus and onto the pavement.

It didn't hurt as much as it could have, but Phoenix rubbed what seemed to be a sore spot on her head. "Did you think that through?"

"Yes." _No. _

We stood up, surrounded by tense woods and thick foliage, only one road to the city we planned to enter. Somehow. The kids, still dressed in their ornate masks and black clothes, sat on a beat-down bench, not too far from us.

They were huddled together, hands locked, trying to plan something. Phoenix began walking towards them, but I grabbed her by the hand. Thinking through the bus exit wasn't that much of a chore. But walking up to two potential halfas with dangerous powers we don't know about, with no defense? That would be worse.

She understood the look I gave her, but shook her head. "I can protect myself just as easy." She whispered to me, and approached the two kids. One of them, whose mask was decorated in purple feathers, looked to Phoenix.

"What do you want?" The kid- who sounded more feminine than anything else- demanded.

"I was curious about your masks." Phoenix began. "Where did you get them?"

The girl crossed her arms. "Is it any of _your _business?"

Phoenix smirked. "Actually, yes. You're from the resistance in Amity Park, aren't you?" The two kids remained silent, before the girl slowly nodded. "My friend and I need help getting into Amity Park. Do you know how?"

The girl laughed after glancing back to me. "_Into? _That's a suicide mission for sure. _Out of, _now that's different." She stood up, her yellow eyes from behind the mask glowing. "Who are you people, anyway?"

Phoenix gulped, but replied, "I'm Phoenix, and that's my friend Danny. We need help getting into Amity Park."

"If you're going on a honeymoon, then pick another place." The other kid, a male with iridescent feathers, replied. My face turned red, and I remembered how people always thought Sam and I were dating. Now it was different, because there would be a twenty-year age difference in us. It would be weird.

I stood next to Phoenix, ignoring the urge to yell, _we're not lovebirds, _and I said, "We're going to help Amity Park. At least, if we can get into it."

The girl laughed again. "You two, help Amity Park? I doubt it." She seemed to love to aggravate us, and it made my face turn another shade of red.

Before I could retaliate, Phoenix rested a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. The auburn-haired girl turned to the masked kids. "Please, we need to find the resistance you're in. Danny and I...We can really help."

The girl's face turned red under the mask. "Why would you bother with the resistance, anyway? In the end, it's going to fall. That's why I got my brother and myself out of that damn place before we all get killed. My best friend Nettie got captured by the mayor and now she's working her life off in a factory. She'll probably die, and the resistance said we couldn't rescue her. Find another way in, and leave us alone."

The boy suddenly spoke up, looking to his sister. "What my sister says is right, but…" He trailed off, as if looking for the right words. "The least we can do is help you get in."

Phoenix's eyes brightened. "Really? Thank you so much!"

The boy nodded; before explaining to us where to go. There's an abandoned sewer not far from here, and we could get into it by squeezing through the bars. It led directly underneath the city's barrier to inside of Amity Park. From there, we'd be on our own.

"Thank you so much." I said. "And good luck with finding somewhere safe."

The girl looked up from her glare upon the ground, her eyes filled with wonder as Phoenix and I walked away, following her brother's directions. As I turned, I could have sworn I heard her whisper, "Doesn't that kid look familiar?" to her brother.

* * *

Sure enough, it led us inside the city. Due to ghostly powers, Phoenix and I weren't inside the icky sewers for long, and then we were safely inside Amity Park. As safe as possible, at least.

Amity Park had changed drastically. It reminded me much of the dark future I had in store- which, by now, probably wouldn't happen anymore. _No Dan, _I thought. But there was still the nagging presence in the back of my head that I needed to be careful.

Just because I was dead for two decades doesn't mean I could suddenly turn chaotic and evil, kill everyone then rule the world.

"We're back."

We made our way down the street, and I noticed I was instinctively keeping an eye out for the neon FENTON sign that was attached to my house, or the OPS Center resting calmly on top, but it was nowhere in sight.

Just as I was about to ask Phoenix a question, bags were placed over our heads and we were dragged off, with no way to fight back.


	8. The Lieutenants

"Shh."

My eyes slowly opened, but were blinded by a white light. I winced in pain, before allowing my head to clear. I was tied up- by ropes, no less- and more people in masquerade masks decorated with feathers surrounded me.

"Where am I?" I asked, suddenly having a strikingly similar feeling to when I first woke up.

"That doesn't matter." A girl with dark blue feathers retorted. She sounded my age, although much like the kid we met only earlier. "How did you get into Amity Park?"

"What are you talking about? Where's Phoenix?"

"She's okay, just somewhere else." As my head finally cleared, I noticed there was only one girl in the room- just the room was surrounded with different kinds of masks. "Now, what are you doing here?"

Something pinged in my head. "You're the resistance, aren't you?"

"Stop answering my questions with questions." The girl yelled. "Who are you working for? The Mayor? The secret police?" It dawned on me that her fingernails were, in fact, sharp claws that could stab me any minute.

"Nobody." I said, taking a deep breath. "Phoenix and I came here on our own."

"Why would two normal people like you want to come to Amity Park?" We're not that normal, but I kept my mouth clamped shut. "If you hadn't noticed, it's not exactly perfect for a vacation with your sister."

"We're not related."

"Oh." The girl cleared her throat, suddenly seeming calmer than moments before. The atmosphere became tense again as she began asking another question. "You refer to that girl as Phoenix, but what's your name?"

"Danny." I replied. A spark of recognition filled her eyes, but whatever it was, disappeared quickly.

The girl nodded, and went through simple questions. My age. My date of birth. My gender identity and pronouns- although that part confused me. Where I lived. I stumbled upon that for a bit, before saying "Willowbrooke". "I heard it's nice there, this time of year." The girl stated before continuing. "Tell me again, who are you working for. You have to be working for someone-"

A knock echoed on the door, and the dark claws the girl had immediately sunk back into her skin. Ew. Now normal hands opened the door, and another person came in. They were tall and slender, probably sixteen, with grey hair in a tousled mess over dark eyes, rings under them from lack of sleep. "They're both clean, Amelia."

The girl scowled. "I wasn't even done yet-" She tried to say, but was once again interrupted.

"It's done, Amelia." The person sighed. "Cut him out. The Lieutenant wants to meet him."

_Lieutenant? _ I thought in anticipation, shivering as her dark claws came out again, cutting me free from the rope I could've got out of already. Amelia grabbed me, rather forcefully, by the arms, dragging me out into an unfamiliar hall. I spotted Phoenix immediately, but something kept me quiet. Fear, perhaps? I was half-dead, you would think I wouldn't have many fears. Dan crept back into my mind; but I pushed him out. I was dead for twenty years. I was in some sort of dystopian future of Amity Park.

The chances of _him _happening were slim now, I told myself, before snapping back to reality.

Phoenix was glancing at me from the corner of her eye, giving me a hopeful glance. We could do this, it said. I nodded back to her, watching the hallway pass by. The walls were a steel grey, and doors led to what seemed to be other cells, like the one I woke up in, or other miscellaneous rooms.

We passed through a giant room- a small light was at the top, insinuating we were underground. The room was a giant chasm, with people using powers and practicing fighting. It made me open my mouth in awe. All I had ever seen were ghost powers- nothing from humans. But there they were, practicing against dummies at amazing speeds and with incredible powers.

"Amazing," Phoenix breathed.

I nodded; taken aback. I had no words.

"Just to warn you too, Lieutenant acts a little crazy sometimes, but she's like a mom to all of us halfas. Her son was one, too." Amelia shrugged. "Doesn't tell much about him, though. I get curious sometimes."

There was a room, to the far left, behind a bunch of training, Inside, it looked like an office you would find in a regular building. In my time, at least. Family portraits, blurred by the gleam of the fluorescent lighting, hung on the walls. Trophies of some sort decorated the shelf.

The person inside that surprised me the most almost made me drop dead. And never come back, too. My heart, which was already beating faster than normal (probably about _the _normal) stopped.

I knew the person who sat there. Years have went by, but I recognized her almost instantly. Wrinkles were under her eyes, and grey hairs stuck out from her usually darker hair, but I would know her from anywhere.

I gulped. She hadn't looked yet, and hadn't noticed who I was. With a brave, shaking voice, I said, "M-Mom?"

Her head snapped up when she heard the voice instantly, and she looked at Phoenix and I at the same time, her eyes wider than mine. Phoenix gave me a glance, her eyes that were once so full of a childlike awe were now full of shock upon realization of who this was. Her eyes were suddenly full of tears, as she stood up, her old, swiveling desk chair nearly thrown into the wall. "Danny?"

It was a moment of silence, not awkward with the ghosts. I was seeing my Mom again. I thought about her in the twenty years I was out cold- dead, in a coma, whatever you want to call it- and here I was, again, seeing her. Face-to-face. There was grief, wonder and an abundance of joy reflecting in her eyes.

She hugged me, and I returned it. Her body, although not as fit as it used to be, was still stronger than ever, not at all the frail it could be. I felt her body shaking with sobs of joy and even more grief.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, holding onto me tight. I couldn't ignore the tears of my own that were slowly falling. Twenty years, and here we were.

"I-I am, too." I paused, recoiling from the hug. "I should've told you sooner. If I did, none of this would've happened."

It went on like this for a couple of minutes; Mom and I just kept apologizing to each other. She apologized for everything she said- dissecting, trying to kill me completely, and couldn't let _actually_ killing me go.

"I found it weird that you didn't even return as a ghost- figuring that you were only half-dead, and killing you would make you a fully-dead ghost." Mom rambled, before glancing to Phoenix in the room, who had remained surprisingly quiet and invisible. "Who's this?"

"Phoenix," she replied, holding her hand out. "I, uh, found Danny a couple of weeks ago, and I've been helping him. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Fenton?"

A thought came to mind. "Mom, where's Dad? He's not…" I trailed off, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

Mom gave me a smile, and god, it felt good to see that again. "Your father and Jasmine are fine. Jack's probably in the Weaponry again, and Jazz is safely away from Amity Park." Her smile widened. "Speaking of which, I need to get your father here." She returned to her desk, and pressed a button on what seemed to be a phone. A holographic picture of a telephone appeared, hovering over her desk.

_Whoa, _I thought, looking at the holograph in awe. Mom smiled again- she couldn't stop smiling, after everything was forgiven. I could still tell there was that bit of regret left in her, and something like that wouldn't melt away so easily.

"_Maddie!" _My Dad's voice echoed through the room. My heart skipped a beat, again, and I noticed Phoenix smile; the feeling of happiness and utter glee replaced the melancholic grief just moments ago.

"Jack, you need to get to my office as fast as possible." Mom grinned, a devious smirk on her face. "There's a surprise waiting."

A giddy gasp of glee was heard before Dad hung up. He was still the usual, happy-go-lucky man, even after my death. They got over me eventually, which kinda warmed my heart. I knew it was hard. It was hard for me to believe I was dead for twenty years, and it was even more shocking for me to be back.

It brought up the question again- why _am _I back? What was with the spontaneous Resurrection? I had no way to get to the Ghost Zone and ask Clockwork about it, and he would probably give me a cryptic response again.

I prayed I wasn't a zombie. there was no hunger for human flesh yet, so I was good.

Before my mind could elaborate on the topic, I was swept up in a giant hug. It was my Dad, gleeful as always, hugging me half-to-death. Which was surprising, because I was already halfway dead. "See, Maddie? I told you he'd be back."

Mom curtly smiled, unable to repress any sort of happiness. "I guess I do owe you there, Jack." I was set down again, and somehow, felt smaller than my parents. I was supposed to grow taller by the time I hit a growth spurt (or just plain "puberty" as people said, to my annoyance), but you know, I died.

"Phoenix, this is my Dad." I introduced my new friend. "Dad, this is Phoenix."

She shook his hand, not at all frightened by the man's bulky appearance or his strong grip. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

Just as everything felt fine, and we could continue living on, it turned to a different mood. There was still the Mayor, who was using Halfas as cheap and disposable labor, like they were a reusable resource. My parents- still slightly objected to ghosts- explained what happened when I was gone. For a couple of years, Amity park moved on. The ghosts didn't attack as much- and when they did, Danielle came in. A few weeks after my death, she appeared, and explained the whole story. Dani was instantly adopted, but now she goes by the name "Elle". They didn't know where she was now- and, as Phoenix mentioned my first day of my new life, off the radar.

Tucker and Sam had no choice but to move on. Eventually, Sam dropped off the radar, also, presumed to be going by a different name in Texas. Tucker still stayed in Amity Park for a but, until the mayor rose to power.

He was one of the few people who started the revolution, but his risky position couldn't allow him to visit the Facility often. He created all the weapons to fight the soldiers, who seemed to have slight immunity to the Halfas power, along with a communication system and more. He even invented the tablets I saw Phoenix use at the day in the hospital.

"You woke up in Willowbrooke, you say?" Mom asked, her eyebrows raised in a sort-of confusion I couldn't understand. "That's an awfully long walk from your grave to there."

"I found him, almost ran over by a truck." Phoenix interjected. She had been helping my parents "catch me up", on the current times. "If I wasn't there, there was no way he would've survived his sudden resurrection. In fact, he still had a wound in his chest- not severe enough to kill him, and it was partially healed by the time we got him to the hospital."

Dad had to leave, responding to a call of a disabled hovercar, leaving just the three of us alone. Phoenix glanced at me, who was stunned into a mute shock, then at Mom. "We originally came here to ask you something."

My ears perked up, and I nodded. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot." It was hard to remember, when you find out your Mom is one of the leaders for a discreet underground rebellion. "We wanted to join this resistance."

My mother's lips pursed for a minute, thinking over her options. She didn't want me to do this again- with the second threat of dying again. Maybe I'd return in twenty years, maybe I wouldn't. She wouldn't live long enough to see me again if I died. But Mom knew how good of a fighter I was, and what I could do. She'd witnessed me defending the city every day, after all.

A few moments of thought later, she sighed. "There's no way to convince you otherwise, so you can join."

Phoenix and I exchanged glances, smiling- we did it! We came to Amity Park and did what we were planning to do.

"I just want to let you know; the training schedule here is vigorous, and there's no way you can skip it. You'll be considered one of the trainees, and there are no special cards for being my son. Are we clear?" She suddenly held an authoritative voice, and we both nodded. "You start tomorrow morning."

We were set.


End file.
